TWO TYPES OF PAYMENT GATEWAY PROVIDERS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Those requiring a client to register as an Internet merchant with a South African Bank, and those that do not.

PAYFAST

PayFast does not charge monthly fees – only per-transaction fees.

PayFast is geared towards South African sellers (who serve both local and international buyers) and is constantly looking for innovative new ways to serve this market. PayFast is used by individuals, businesses and charities. Charities enjoy a per-transaction fee that is lower than for businesses and individuals.

When a buyer makes a purchase, the funds (minus a nominal fee) will immediately reflect in your PayFast account. By generating a Payout, the funds are moved to your South African bank account of choice. In addition to credit card payments, Instant EFT makes up more than half of their transac- tions. Instant EFT allows buyers to pay via a bank transfer with South Africa’s biggest four banks which gets verified instantly. This is a PayFast patented system and these transactions don’t run the risk of repudiation/costly chargebacks.

PayFast also processes Ukash; vouchers that are available at over 420,000 retail locations all across the world and mimoney; a virtual currency backed by Standard Bank which resides on your mobile phone.

They have some of the highest standards of security in the field, with a myriad of checks, as outlined here: https://www.payfast.co.za/security-fraud/. PayFast customers include bidorbuy (Africa’s largest marketplace), takealot.com, MedicAlert, Ticketpros, CityMob and more.

MONSTERPAY

MonsterPay have excellent fees and overall a great product with an awesome backend reporting. Signup is quick and easy and no internet merchant account is required. We also love the option of multiple currencies. As mentioned above the email verification token is little frustrating.

MonsterPay is the favoured choice for smaller businesses. MonsterPay is a Setcom company and does not charge a setup or monthly subscription fee. MonsterPay’s transaction fees are also the lowest in this category, with a 2.9% per-transaction fee, plus R2.

2CHECKOUT

2CheckOut offers a payment gateway service with no waiting period and no term contracts. 2CheckOut also supports recurring billing and will work with existing shopping carts.

A signup fee of $49USD is levied by 2CheckOut with a 5.5% commission on each transaction, along with a $0.45USD charge per transaction. With no monthly, gateway or statement fees, 2CheckOut also makes it possible for customers to purchase products with PayPal, as well as the most popular online payment methods.

EVRIPAY

evriPay does not charge monthly or set-up fees – only per-transaction fees. evriPay currently provides processing for transactions in South Africa, but will soon provide these services in other African countries.

evriPay is focussed on small and new businesses and will get a business up and trading immediately after the application form has been successfully completed. All applications are completed online.

evriPay does not charge setup or monthly fees. Credit card transactions are charged at 3.4% of the transaction, plus R2.70.

Virtual Card Services

Virtual Card Services was established in 1996, works with ABSA, Nedbank, Standard Bank and First National Bank and has more than 50 years’ collective experience in developing and implementing credit, debit and smartcard processing systems for all of the major card issuers in South Africa. In order for an online retailer to register with VCS, the retailer must register with their bank as a Credit Card Merchant. Once registered, the retailer will receive a Merchant Number and, using this, can register for VCS services.

In terms of VCS fees, VCS does not charge to setup a retailer. Volume Discounts can be negotiated with VCS, based on the retailer’s transaction processing history. No setup bank fees are levied for new Internet Merchant applications for users who utilize the services of Nedbank. Users with First National Bank will pay a Bank fee of R399, and for Standard Bank customers, a charge of R500 is levied. ABSA clients will have their bank fee negotiated with VCS. Commission on all transactions through an ABSA account carry a negotiable levy whilst a commission fee of between 5 and 7% applies when transacting with a First National Bank, Nedbank or Standard Bank account. ABSA clients pay a R120 administration fee as well. The minimum monthly amount for a Standard Bank client is R150, whilst for First National Bank clients it is R399 and Nedbank clients need a minimum monthly of R500.

Website Address:www.vcs.co.zaContact Number: 082 561 7525Email Address: support@vcs.co.zaDisclaimer: These are NOT the only gateway payment service providers and all transaction fees and other account charges should be confirmed via the individual gateway service providers websites.